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Silver in the Bone #1
Una maldición de plata y huesos
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2023)HAY TRES MAGIAS A LAS QUE LAS MALDICIONES QUE PROVIENEN DE LA IRA DE LOS DIOSES, LOS VENENOS QUE CONVIERTEN LA TIERRA EN CENIZAS Y AQUELLA QUE DEJA EL CORAZÓN OSCURO Y PLATA EN LOS HUESOS...
Tamsin Lark nunca quiso ser una Saqueadora. Al ser una mortal sin ningún talento mágico, no estaba destinada a colarse en bóvedas ancestrales y competir contra Sagaces y hechiceras por los tesoros ocultos en ellas. Sin embargo, cuando el rufián que tiene por padre adoptivo desaparece sin mediar palabra, no tiene otro modo de mantenerse a sí misma (y a su hermano Cabell) con vida.
Siete años después, corren rumores de que su tutor desapareció con un poderoso anillo procedente de los tiempos del rey Arturo. Un encuentro con Emrys, su peor enemigo, aviva la esperanza que tiene Tamsin de que el anillo pueda liberar a su hermano de la maldición que amenaza la vida de ambos. Pero ellos no son los únicos que ansían poseerlo. A medida que se corre la voz, los ambiciosos Saqueadores empiezan a acosarlos, y muchos de ellos están dispuestos a matar por la oportunidad de hacerse con el tesoro. Pese a que Emrys es la última persona que Tamsin escogería para formar una alianza, necesita toda la ayuda posible para dejar atrás a sus competidores en la carrera por el anillo. Juntos, se adentran en un nido de víboras lleno de magia oscura y revelan un terrible secreto que tiene el poder de despertar fantasmas del pasado y romper en mil pedazos su última esperanza de salvar a su hermano. Alexandra Bracken consolida su estatus como una de las mejores autoras de fantasía de la actualidad con el impresionante comienzo de una saga llena de amor, venganza y pura adrenalina.
Tamsin Lark nunca quiso ser una Saqueadora. Al ser una mortal sin ningún talento mágico, no estaba destinada a colarse en bóvedas ancestrales y competir contra Sagaces y hechiceras por los tesoros ocultos en ellas. Sin embargo, cuando el rufián que tiene por padre adoptivo desaparece sin mediar palabra, no tiene otro modo de mantenerse a sí misma (y a su hermano Cabell) con vida.
Siete años después, corren rumores de que su tutor desapareció con un poderoso anillo procedente de los tiempos del rey Arturo. Un encuentro con Emrys, su peor enemigo, aviva la esperanza que tiene Tamsin de que el anillo pueda liberar a su hermano de la maldición que amenaza la vida de ambos. Pero ellos no son los únicos que ansían poseerlo. A medida que se corre la voz, los ambiciosos Saqueadores empiezan a acosarlos, y muchos de ellos están dispuestos a matar por la oportunidad de hacerse con el tesoro. Pese a que Emrys es la última persona que Tamsin escogería para formar una alianza, necesita toda la ayuda posible para dejar atrás a sus competidores en la carrera por el anillo. Juntos, se adentran en un nido de víboras lleno de magia oscura y revelan un terrible secreto que tiene el poder de despertar fantasmas del pasado y romper en mil pedazos su última esperanza de salvar a su hermano. Alexandra Bracken consolida su estatus como una de las mejores autoras de fantasía de la actualidad con el impresionante comienzo de una saga llena de amor, venganza y pura adrenalina.
480 pages, Paperback
First published April 4, 2023
1064 people are currently reading
55890 people want to read
About the author
Alexandra Bracken
32 books25.7k followersHi! I'm Alex and I write books. Please note that I don't respond to messages here on GoodReads. Please send me a note on twitter or IG @alexbracken. xx A
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,750 reviews
July 13, 2024
Dnf @Pg 349
Such a BORING book. I hate dnf-ing physical books but this was torture.
Such a BORING book. I hate dnf-ing physical books but this was torture.
December 6, 2022
AB smashed the mythology in her previous novel ‘lore,’ so i was super excited to see how she would tackle arthurian tales.
but the thing is, i dont think its visible enough in this book. it uses the isle of avalon as a setting and the death of king arthur as a plot devise, but thats really it. to me, this doesnt feel like a story ingrained in arthurian myth, but rather one that just takes place in a world where arthurian mythology is a thing, if that makes sense. so i just wish there was more it.
because everything else is so much fun. i enjoyed the magic system, the characters are entertaining to read about, and there are twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. so it is a pretty good fantasy book on its own, i just would have liked to see more of the mythology component. so heres hoping that improves with the sequel!
thank you random house/knopf books for the ARC!
↠ 3.5 stars
but the thing is, i dont think its visible enough in this book. it uses the isle of avalon as a setting and the death of king arthur as a plot devise, but thats really it. to me, this doesnt feel like a story ingrained in arthurian myth, but rather one that just takes place in a world where arthurian mythology is a thing, if that makes sense. so i just wish there was more it.
because everything else is so much fun. i enjoyed the magic system, the characters are entertaining to read about, and there are twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. so it is a pretty good fantasy book on its own, i just would have liked to see more of the mythology component. so heres hoping that improves with the sequel!
thank you random house/knopf books for the ARC!
↠ 3.5 stars
April 14, 2023
OMG! This is absolutely one of my favorite works of the author! The opening lured me enough to keep my interest intact, the entire execution was engaging, entertaining, promising! The characters are likable, magic system and world building is well blended in the Isle of Avalon setting and King Arthur legend.
I honestly had a little hard time to enjoy the author’s previous work: Lore. But this is something exceptional!
No more words! My expectations are so high for the second installment after reading the cliffhanger at the end! I need it ASAP!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/ Knopf Books for Young Readers for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
I honestly had a little hard time to enjoy the author’s previous work: Lore. But this is something exceptional!
No more words! My expectations are so high for the second installment after reading the cliffhanger at the end! I need it ASAP!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/ Knopf Books for Young Readers for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
Read
April 7, 2023I can’t give this a star at all because I just couldn’t even do my DNF SKIM finish. I only got 5% and I just couldn’t. I just can’t with some books anymore. Sigh…. Beautiful cover though!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
November 7, 2023
Post-read review:
ARC copy provided in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changes my rating or review.
Let me just say that I am BLOWN AWAY and screaming crying dying for the second book ASAP. Literal tears were falling down my cheeks in rage and misery by the end of this book (I may have gotten a wee bit attached to a character or two… whoops). And maybe I’m being dramatic, but I certainly adored this book.
“No matter what they say, or how much they lie to themselves, people don’t want the truth.”
Sometimes I read books and don’t like them, and I know that it’s a me problem because I’m in the wrong mood, but this was the complete opposite! It was exactly what I needed at the right time – a new and fascinating fantasy book, with interesting world-building but a basis of old and well-known Camelot tales, strong and unique characters, and a lil enemies-to-lovers banter to make me giggle and kick my feet.
You cannot – and I mean CANNOT – convince me that Emrys wasn’t whipped for Tamsin this entire book. He was W H I P P E D . And I loved it, because their banter was top level, and his adorable obsession with Tamsin was beyond fun to read about. Also, understandable Emrys, because Tamsin was freaking cool. She could be a little on the nose sometimes, but I loved her growth and stubborn personality, and her love for her brother just solidified my appreciation of her.
“‘It’ll be all right, lass… this once, give his care to another.’
No. That wasn’t right. Cabell was mine to protect. He had been, as long as I could remember.”
I really didn’t enjoy “Lore” by Alexandra Bracken back when I read it, but this book was honestly superb, so now I’m considering rereading that and seeing if it was a me problem last time… not sure yet, but let me certainly recommend “Silver in the Bone” to everyone – whether you’ve enjoyed her previous works or not – because it was brilliant. I need the next book stat – what was that cliffhanger!!
Thank you so much to the author for the free copy provided in exchange for an honest review, and the publisher and NetGalley for contacting me about an ARC for this book! Highly recommended!
~~~
pre-read review: got invited to read an ARC for this, and while I didn’t love “lore”, those who know me also know my immense love for “legendborn”, so how could I turn down a new Arthurian retelling??!
ARC copy provided in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changes my rating or review.
Let me just say that I am BLOWN AWAY and screaming crying dying for the second book ASAP. Literal tears were falling down my cheeks in rage and misery by the end of this book (I may have gotten a wee bit attached to a character or two… whoops). And maybe I’m being dramatic, but I certainly adored this book.
“No matter what they say, or how much they lie to themselves, people don’t want the truth.”
Sometimes I read books and don’t like them, and I know that it’s a me problem because I’m in the wrong mood, but this was the complete opposite! It was exactly what I needed at the right time – a new and fascinating fantasy book, with interesting world-building but a basis of old and well-known Camelot tales, strong and unique characters, and a lil enemies-to-lovers banter to make me giggle and kick my feet.
You cannot – and I mean CANNOT – convince me that Emrys wasn’t whipped for Tamsin this entire book. He was W H I P P E D . And I loved it, because their banter was top level, and his adorable obsession with Tamsin was beyond fun to read about. Also, understandable Emrys, because Tamsin was freaking cool. She could be a little on the nose sometimes, but I loved her growth and stubborn personality, and her love for her brother just solidified my appreciation of her.
“‘It’ll be all right, lass… this once, give his care to another.’
No. That wasn’t right. Cabell was mine to protect. He had been, as long as I could remember.”
I really didn’t enjoy “Lore” by Alexandra Bracken back when I read it, but this book was honestly superb, so now I’m considering rereading that and seeing if it was a me problem last time… not sure yet, but let me certainly recommend “Silver in the Bone” to everyone – whether you’ve enjoyed her previous works or not – because it was brilliant. I need the next book stat – what was that cliffhanger!!
Thank you so much to the author for the free copy provided in exchange for an honest review, and the publisher and NetGalley for contacting me about an ARC for this book! Highly recommended!
~~~
pre-read review: got invited to read an ARC for this, and while I didn’t love “lore”, those who know me also know my immense love for “legendborn”, so how could I turn down a new Arthurian retelling??!
May 3, 2023
Bland characters, lacklustre world-building and a poorly executed plot.
Would have been a DNF, but the audio narrator tried to give the book some life so I stuck with it.
Would have been a DNF, but the audio narrator tried to give the book some life so I stuck with it.
December 31, 2025
2023: I knew this one was going to hurt, but damn Cabell you did me dirty.
This book was centred around Isle of Avalon and King Arthur and His Knights, but like other readers, I wish there’d been more mythology incorporated in the world building, story and plot. I’m excited to read more in the sequel.
I love my girl Tamsin. Bracken always writes great MCs, and Tamsin fits the pattern. She’s tough, ornery, clever and loyal and I love love love the sibling bond and dynamic between Cabell and her. It really made the story.
I wrote in my notes before starting my first read through, “I have a bad feeling about this one. Sunshine boys are literally my kryptonite.” And again, Bracken’s love interests are all sunshine boys. Emrys Lye is Liam Stewart and Castor with a different font, and I love him.
2022: Oh Lordy is has a synopsis AND a cover! #shitsreal
2021: I’ll read anything by Bracken, even if it has no synopsis.
This book was centred around Isle of Avalon and King Arthur and His Knights, but like other readers, I wish there’d been more mythology incorporated in the world building, story and plot. I’m excited to read more in the sequel.
I love my girl Tamsin. Bracken always writes great MCs, and Tamsin fits the pattern. She’s tough, ornery, clever and loyal and I love love love the sibling bond and dynamic between Cabell and her. It really made the story.
I wrote in my notes before starting my first read through, “I have a bad feeling about this one. Sunshine boys are literally my kryptonite.” And again, Bracken’s love interests are all sunshine boys. Emrys Lye is Liam Stewart and Castor with a different font, and I love him.
2022: Oh Lordy is has a synopsis AND a cover! #shitsreal
2021: I’ll read anything by Bracken, even if it has no synopsis.
October 4, 2024
⭐️3.50⭐️
This was one of the most confusing experiences I have ever had reading a book. I loved the plot, but couldn’t for the life of me get into it?
I can see why a lot of reviews use the word “boring”, when the storyline is actually quite intriguing — But I had not a single care or connection to any of the characters — at all.
I picked this up because I’m a fan of the authors social media, but haven’t read anything by her.
📖 For fans of Legendborn and One Dark Window.
The story starts off fast paced, which is what you usually need to draw readers in, but looking back at how and why I couldn’t connect to the characters when I genuinely enjoyed the plot, I see it’s hard to care about a life threatening situation when you don’t know anyone whose life is being threatened, and you’ve still got so many pages left, you know they’ll still be alive by the next page.
The world building was a little too “half a foot in, half a foot out”. It couldn’t quite decide if it wanted to be modern magic or Arthurian classic and ended up doing both luke warm. For those looking for a really well done modern Arthurian fantasy I suggest reading Legendborn - 5/5 ⭐️.
You can tell the author had a good team and the book was well edited and on par with other YA’s in the genre in terms of writing and pace. Overall, as a whole the book isn’t too long or too short.
I appreciate the romance wasn’t too rushed (until the end to serve the story). The rivals to lovers trope (although short and underdeveloped) gets a tick from me, because most YA’s go from rivals to lovers in one book, (when in my humble opinion it is best done as arch growth in the second book if it’s a series), so the quicker relationship change is not a fault specific to this book/author.
I usually read multiple books at a time and it takes me 1-3 days to finish each book — It took me 9 days to read just this.
Do I regret forcing myself to push through this book? Partly yes, because it’s put me in a reading slump. As an avid fantasy and sci-fi reader I’m used to long boring sections of exposition etc (which wasn’t what made this book boring, it was the predictable/flat characters), but as such, I have a strong boringness tolerator. However, it feels like this book has used it up for the next few weeks, so I just don’t feel like reading at all. It happens.
Will I read the next book? Yes, because the plot is genuinely interesting, the twists were not obvious, and the writing is not horrible. But I need to get out of this reading slump first to give the 2nd book a fair review. Wish me luck…
This was one of the most confusing experiences I have ever had reading a book. I loved the plot, but couldn’t for the life of me get into it?
I can see why a lot of reviews use the word “boring”, when the storyline is actually quite intriguing — But I had not a single care or connection to any of the characters — at all.
I picked this up because I’m a fan of the authors social media, but haven’t read anything by her.
📖 For fans of Legendborn and One Dark Window.
The story starts off fast paced, which is what you usually need to draw readers in, but looking back at how and why I couldn’t connect to the characters when I genuinely enjoyed the plot, I see it’s hard to care about a life threatening situation when you don’t know anyone whose life is being threatened, and you’ve still got so many pages left, you know they’ll still be alive by the next page.
The world building was a little too “half a foot in, half a foot out”. It couldn’t quite decide if it wanted to be modern magic or Arthurian classic and ended up doing both luke warm. For those looking for a really well done modern Arthurian fantasy I suggest reading Legendborn - 5/5 ⭐️.
You can tell the author had a good team and the book was well edited and on par with other YA’s in the genre in terms of writing and pace. Overall, as a whole the book isn’t too long or too short.
I appreciate the romance wasn’t too rushed (until the end to serve the story). The rivals to lovers trope (although short and underdeveloped) gets a tick from me, because most YA’s go from rivals to lovers in one book, (when in my humble opinion it is best done as arch growth in the second book if it’s a series), so the quicker relationship change is not a fault specific to this book/author.
I usually read multiple books at a time and it takes me 1-3 days to finish each book — It took me 9 days to read just this.
Do I regret forcing myself to push through this book? Partly yes, because it’s put me in a reading slump. As an avid fantasy and sci-fi reader I’m used to long boring sections of exposition etc (which wasn’t what made this book boring, it was the predictable/flat characters), but as such, I have a strong boringness tolerator. However, it feels like this book has used it up for the next few weeks, so I just don’t feel like reading at all. It happens.
Will I read the next book? Yes, because the plot is genuinely interesting, the twists were not obvious, and the writing is not horrible. But I need to get out of this reading slump first to give the 2nd book a fair review. Wish me luck…
May 4, 2023
-🗺5 stars🗺-
“Break the curse, before it breaks you.”
Tamsin Lark is a hollower. She didn’t want to be. She’s a mortal with no magical powers, unlike her brother. However, her brother, Cabell, has a curse that turns him into a monster (sort of like a werewolf¿). Tamsin finds out that The ring of Dispel can break Cabell’s curse.
However, A LOT of people want this ring, so she works with her rival/person she dislikes but has liked her the entire time 🤭🤭 this is shown in the quote:
“I can tell you that to me, you’ve always felt like spring. Like possibility. I admire you, and respect you, and I want to be near you as long as I can. As long as you’ll let me be.”
The side characters are AMAZING! The priestesses, Neve, everything’s so complicated and I love it so much because everything is well thought out, the side characters don’t exist just for the sake of it 😌🫶
Anyway, Emrys and Tamsin have a ✨moment✨, if you will.
Which everyone should read because I have never smiled giggled and screamed and laughed so much in one scene omg
And the entire book, you can’t help but ship them
“Come on!” I told Emrys, taking his arm.
“My hero,” he managed to get out.
“I don’t have time to think of an annoyed comeback”
Anyway, beginning was kinda slow but the middle-end?? fuck
LITERALLY SO MUCH HAPPENS AND I WAS THIS CLOSE TO SOBBING 🥲🥲🥲
also I can’t wait for this series to become big enough for fan fictions to exist bc I need them rn
-
April 2023: did I know that a special & signed copy was gonna arrive in my April Fairyloot box? Yes I did. Did I still scream when I saw the signed copy in a bookstore near me and give them my money immediately? Yes. Yes I did.
March 2023: How did I NOT know this was coming out?? NEED.
“Break the curse, before it breaks you.”
Tamsin Lark is a hollower. She didn’t want to be. She’s a mortal with no magical powers, unlike her brother. However, her brother, Cabell, has a curse that turns him into a monster (sort of like a werewolf¿). Tamsin finds out that The ring of Dispel can break Cabell’s curse.
However, A LOT of people want this ring, so she works with her rival/person she dislikes but has liked her the entire time 🤭🤭 this is shown in the quote:
“I can tell you that to me, you’ve always felt like spring. Like possibility. I admire you, and respect you, and I want to be near you as long as I can. As long as you’ll let me be.”
The side characters are AMAZING! The priestesses, Neve, everything’s so complicated and I love it so much because everything is well thought out, the side characters don’t exist just for the sake of it 😌🫶
Anyway, Emrys and Tamsin have a ✨moment✨, if you will.
Which everyone should read because I have never smiled giggled and screamed and laughed so much in one scene omg
And the entire book, you can’t help but ship them
“Come on!” I told Emrys, taking his arm.
“My hero,” he managed to get out.
“I don’t have time to think of an annoyed comeback”
Anyway, beginning was kinda slow but the middle-end?? fuck
LITERALLY SO MUCH HAPPENS AND I WAS THIS CLOSE TO SOBBING 🥲🥲🥲
also I can’t wait for this series to become big enough for fan fictions to exist bc I need them rn
-
April 2023: did I know that a special & signed copy was gonna arrive in my April Fairyloot box? Yes I did. Did I still scream when I saw the signed copy in a bookstore near me and give them my money immediately? Yes. Yes I did.
March 2023: How did I NOT know this was coming out?? NEED.
March 29, 2023
3.5 stars
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!
This book definitely got way better in the second half, and it weirdly felt almost like a different book to the first half, or the first third at least. I really enjoyed when the action was happening in Avalon, and the Arthurian inspirations start to really come to the forefront of the story. Alexandra Bracken's writing is really easy to digest and keeps you captivated, which I have found with her other books.
However I did think that some serious worldbuilding needed to happen in the first 50 pages, because I spent those wondering what on earth was going on, what were Hollowers, what were Cunningfolk, what were Veins or All-Way Doors... there just needed to be a paragraph or two on the magic system and it would have made me enjoy the first half of the book a lot more.
I will say that if you're looking for this book to be really invested in the Arthurian side of things, it's not really that much - yes a lot of it takes place in Avalon, and King Arthur's death is used as one of the main plot devices, but it's not a retelling or really used the Arthurian mythology a whole lot, which I was expecting it to do. I'm guessing the actual mythology will become more involved with the story as the series goes on, but I would've expected more in this first book.
Tamsin, our main character, is a really interesting choice; she's pretty unlikeable for a main character, she can be quite rude and standoffish, and sometimes it was hard to be reading the whole story from her perspective. But it does lead for some interesting moments when she's being so pigheaded, and I thought it did end up adding to the story to have an unlikeable main character.
I did guess the main plot twist about halfway through, but I will admit that I was surprised by all of the plot twists that just kept coming in the final third of the book and I definitely was not expecting that ending, so I'm intrigued to find out what happens in the sequel!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!
This book definitely got way better in the second half, and it weirdly felt almost like a different book to the first half, or the first third at least. I really enjoyed when the action was happening in Avalon, and the Arthurian inspirations start to really come to the forefront of the story. Alexandra Bracken's writing is really easy to digest and keeps you captivated, which I have found with her other books.
However I did think that some serious worldbuilding needed to happen in the first 50 pages, because I spent those wondering what on earth was going on, what were Hollowers, what were Cunningfolk, what were Veins or All-Way Doors... there just needed to be a paragraph or two on the magic system and it would have made me enjoy the first half of the book a lot more.
I will say that if you're looking for this book to be really invested in the Arthurian side of things, it's not really that much - yes a lot of it takes place in Avalon, and King Arthur's death is used as one of the main plot devices, but it's not a retelling or really used the Arthurian mythology a whole lot, which I was expecting it to do. I'm guessing the actual mythology will become more involved with the story as the series goes on, but I would've expected more in this first book.
Tamsin, our main character, is a really interesting choice; she's pretty unlikeable for a main character, she can be quite rude and standoffish, and sometimes it was hard to be reading the whole story from her perspective. But it does lead for some interesting moments when she's being so pigheaded, and I thought it did end up adding to the story to have an unlikeable main character.
I did guess the main plot twist about halfway through, but I will admit that I was surprised by all of the plot twists that just kept coming in the final third of the book and I definitely was not expecting that ending, so I'm intrigued to find out what happens in the sequel!
September 30, 2023
Das war stark! YA-Fantasy ganz nach meinem Geschmack. Obwohl hinten drauf steht, dass es düster zugehen soll, war ich doch überrascht wie düster es ist, so in Richtung Dystopie würde ich fast schon sagen. Das Tempo hat gepasst und Idee sowie Umsetzung habe ich geliebt. Ein paar Dinge fand ich für ein Jugendbuch etwas zu kompliziert gelöst, aber das ging in meiner Begeisterung für das Buch fast schon wieder unter. Die Liebesgeschichte findet eher im Hintergrund statt und das was dann passiert, ist super süß!
Magie, Flüche, Helden, Bösewichte, Schatzsuche, ein Hauch Grusel und fieser Cliffhanger am Ende.. Freue mich sehr sehr arg auf die Fortsetzung!
Magie, Flüche, Helden, Bösewichte, Schatzsuche, ein Hauch Grusel und fieser Cliffhanger am Ende.. Freue mich sehr sehr arg auf die Fortsetzung!
July 16, 2025
BOOK TWO WHEN?????????
reread 7/16: i forgot how dark and gritty and buzzy this book is. the audiobook was a great way to reread this - Alex Bracken's mind is a very imaginative place. i am constantly in awe of what an excellent writer she is. the worldbuilding and magic system is so thorough and the take on the legends and lores of Arthur is one of the most unique i've ever read. Alex weaves in romance into a fantasy setting so expertly but this is firmly a contemporary fantasy with a touch of romance and the way this book ends is actually very shocking to read. i'm so excited to get all my answers in The Mirror of Beasts.
reread 7/16: i forgot how dark and gritty and buzzy this book is. the audiobook was a great way to reread this - Alex Bracken's mind is a very imaginative place. i am constantly in awe of what an excellent writer she is. the worldbuilding and magic system is so thorough and the take on the legends and lores of Arthur is one of the most unique i've ever read. Alex weaves in romance into a fantasy setting so expertly but this is firmly a contemporary fantasy with a touch of romance and the way this book ends is actually very shocking to read. i'm so excited to get all my answers in The Mirror of Beasts.
October 1, 2025
4.75 ★— Why haven’t I heard of these books earlier?
I love fantasies that incorporate the Arthurian myth, I love closed-off heroines and I enjoy a good mysterious plot, and this book delivers on all fronts of these things!
The Setting
The world isn’t anything groundbreaking, but I found it intriguing enough. Set in an urban fantasy version of Boston, Tamsin and her brother are part of a hidden society of a magical guild who search for, collect, and sell magical artifacts. I really enjoyed how dark some aspects of this world were and it’s very comparable to the Shadowhunter world in that way.
The Heroine
Tamsin is dear to my heart! After a traumatic childhood that left her having to fend for herself and her brother, she’s careful, distrustful, and skeptical, which is, in my opinion, completely reasonable given her past. Multiple characters call her out on these traits, but with how dangerous and uncaring people are in the world she’s grown up in, I think she’s 100% justified. And she’s proven right about it multiple times throughout the book.
The Romance
It’s definitely more of a subplot, but it’s there. Emrys is the privileged, rich MMC who she’s always had a one-sided rivalry with, though it quickly becomes clear he’s had a longstanding crush on her. I personally love grumpy, oblivious heroines, and Tamsin embodies that part perfectly. She’s very much the archetypal black cat FMC, even if I wouldn’t call Emrys a golden retriever MMC, because he’s a little too sassy and cunning for that.
The Side Characters & Surrounding World
It took me a while to warm up to everyone, but as the book went on, I definitely enjoyed the small group of characters that form the core of the story. The guild and its other members did feel a little nebulous, though, and I wish the author had fleshed out the adult characters more, as the the world building did feel a little sparse on that front.
The Arthurian Parts
Arthurian myth is woven into the story right from the opening chapters, and as the book unfolds, we slowly see how it all ties into the central plot. The author twisted quite a lot of things here, as the story canonically takes place centuries after King Arthur’s lifetime and you get a glimpse of how this idealised, famed myth has soured for many of the characters! I loved it allllllll and enjoyed seeing them living in the aftermath of it.
Nash
I have to mention the scenes with Nash, because they were some of my favorite parts of the book! He’s such an intriguing, layered, yet mysterious character, and his presence really added to the atmosphere. For anyone familiar with Naruto, he gave me tons of Kakashi vibes!
This book ends on a massive cliffhanger that practically forces you to dive straight into the next instalment and I had so much fun reading it! The critique that it’s a bit long and features stretches where not much happens is valid, but I personally didn’t mind and I felt that it let me sink into the world completely, with an ending that more than delivered!
The Setting
The world isn’t anything groundbreaking, but I found it intriguing enough. Set in an urban fantasy version of Boston, Tamsin and her brother are part of a hidden society of a magical guild who search for, collect, and sell magical artifacts. I really enjoyed how dark some aspects of this world were and it’s very comparable to the Shadowhunter world in that way.
The Heroine
Tamsin is dear to my heart! After a traumatic childhood that left her having to fend for herself and her brother, she’s careful, distrustful, and skeptical, which is, in my opinion, completely reasonable given her past. Multiple characters call her out on these traits, but with how dangerous and uncaring people are in the world she’s grown up in, I think she’s 100% justified. And she’s proven right about it multiple times throughout the book.
The Romance
It’s definitely more of a subplot, but it’s there. Emrys is the privileged, rich MMC who she’s always had a one-sided rivalry with, though it quickly becomes clear he’s had a longstanding crush on her. I personally love grumpy, oblivious heroines, and Tamsin embodies that part perfectly. She’s very much the archetypal black cat FMC, even if I wouldn’t call Emrys a golden retriever MMC, because he’s a little too sassy and cunning for that.
The Side Characters & Surrounding World
It took me a while to warm up to everyone, but as the book went on, I definitely enjoyed the small group of characters that form the core of the story. The guild and its other members did feel a little nebulous, though, and I wish the author had fleshed out the adult characters more, as the the world building did feel a little sparse on that front.
The Arthurian Parts
Arthurian myth is woven into the story right from the opening chapters, and as the book unfolds, we slowly see how it all ties into the central plot. The author twisted quite a lot of things here, as the story canonically takes place centuries after King Arthur’s lifetime and you get a glimpse of how this idealised, famed myth has soured for many of the characters! I loved it allllllll and enjoyed seeing them living in the aftermath of it.
Nash
I have to mention the scenes with Nash, because they were some of my favorite parts of the book! He’s such an intriguing, layered, yet mysterious character, and his presence really added to the atmosphere. For anyone familiar with Naruto, he gave me tons of Kakashi vibes!
This book ends on a massive cliffhanger that practically forces you to dive straight into the next instalment and I had so much fun reading it! The critique that it’s a bit long and features stretches where not much happens is valid, but I personally didn’t mind and I felt that it let me sink into the world completely, with an ending that more than delivered!
May 27, 2023
Such a cliffhanger ending and a great start to the story to reel me in. I don't like too much deaths and what's the point of being able to do magic if they can't defend themselves. Tamsin and her crew traveled to another universe seems to bring them more bad luck than good luck because their lives were taken. Tamsin didn't trust anyone and so she went to investigate but her nightly adventures didn't help at all.
This story followed Tamsin who was born without the vision to see magic. She doesn't know her parents. Her guardian went in search for the ring of dispelled. Cabell is also adopted by Nash, and Tamsin considered him her brother. Cabell is living with a curse he has trouble controlling. 7 years ago, the three went on an adventure to seek treasures and Nash disappeared. Tamsin and Cabell worked as Hollowers to survive. Then they too, decided to go on an adventure to find Nash and the ring of dispelled that could help break the curse Cabell has. They stumbled onto more trouble than they bargained for..
This story followed Tamsin who was born without the vision to see magic. She doesn't know her parents. Her guardian went in search for the ring of dispelled. Cabell is also adopted by Nash, and Tamsin considered him her brother. Cabell is living with a curse he has trouble controlling. 7 years ago, the three went on an adventure to seek treasures and Nash disappeared. Tamsin and Cabell worked as Hollowers to survive. Then they too, decided to go on an adventure to find Nash and the ring of dispelled that could help break the curse Cabell has. They stumbled onto more trouble than they bargained for..
June 19, 2023
My Selling Pitch:
Do you want to read a YA urban fantasy where so much happens, but you’re so bored and annoyed with it that it feels like nothing happens? Do you like millennial humor? Do you like a romance that can barely be considered enemies to lovers? Do you love an underdeveloped magic system?
This is one of my don’t read it titles.
Pre-reading:
I don’t know what this is about. I think it’s YA. I don’t like the cover. It gives me like early seasons Game of Thrones vibes, but not in an enjoyable way, just in like a fanboy way. I got sent a special edition and the sprayed edges are pretty, but like it’s still just a hand on a sword and I’m not into that. Also, why is it so long? I can’t imagine this story needing 470 pages and multiple books. I really hope I get proved wrong.
Thick of it:
I think this girl is the audiobook girlie for No Exit. Hold on. Let me google. (Update it was Hairpin Bridge. I knew it was a Taylor Adams book. I think it’s interesting how often I notice repeat audiobook narrators, and I wonder what it means that so many of my titles end up read by the same person. Like do I secretly read books linked together somehow?)
I never use maps. (And there was no need for it to be in here.)
Oh, not a cat lady book.
Oh, I didn’t know this was urban fantasy.
These names are whack.
You know I feel bad for going into this book with such a sour mood. I’m kinda into it. (Ha! She was so young, so innocent.)
So I don’t know the legend of King Arthur. (And I still don’t.)
Ayyy Boston! A local.
I think tarot is so fun. I’d love to have my cards read someday.
This is firmly a cat lady book.
I swear to god, if they draw the death card-(We’re safe from that particular book sin.)
Tower badddd
Calm down, edgelord.
Annnnd enemies to lovers with the rich privileged boy.
They all got weird names.
A little OUAT Rumpelstiltskin throwback?
Main girly’s appearance revealed through a mirror cliché.
Oh, now that was made for fanart. What a scene.
And he’s got cliché funky eyes. OK, is he a pine boy or is he a cinnamon boy? Can’t wait to find out.
Who talks like this? How old are they? Aren’t they teenagers? What teenager talks like this?
She eats rocks. Send her to Stardew Valley.
Pooka
All these edgy boys always got these scars, and all I ever hear is that Joker line.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a boy compared to a pomegranate before. I spit my pomegranate seeds. I don’t spit my boys-(I know you think you’re funny, but you need to stop.)
Same energy as that meme with DW from Arthur saying this sign can’t stop me because I can’t read.
Why does he call her bird? It’s so annoying. It’s mildly offensive imo.
You’re gonna offer soup in this economy of ACOTAR.
How many goddamn cat references are going to be in this book?
I need her to not describe her adoptive daddy like he’s a hottie, thank you.
A minty boy!
If you don’t like it, give it back. No. Then it helps.
Oh, she drinks black coffee. She’s so edgy.
Wow, a cat lady and a plant lady. She really picked both of my peeves.
Stop calling her birD.
This dialogue is fucking awful.
They’re both such edgelords. Also, I don’t know how old they’re supposed to be, but they’re coming across like they’re 16.
Oh my god, edgelord. I regretted coming into this book with a sour mood, but no longer. Regret rescinded. This is bad. This is BAD. Like the plot is mediocre, but the characters have really ruined it for me.
This is some millennial-ass writing with the whole they want us to have 10 years of job experience to get a first-time job. Like, shut up.
Lol, so his dad tried to kill him.
She is good at crafting images and sets. She is horrible at characters’ dialogue.
How is he not transforming into a dog now if it’s emotion-based? (His powers made no sense.)
Tell me you’ve never ridden a horse without telling me you’ve never ridden a horse.
cuirass
portcullis
It’s not enemies to lovers if he’s already in love with her. Like this is stupid.
Title drop
Hamadryad
This book is gonna be long and miserable to get through.
Millennial humor: oh my god, coffee is my personality.
One horse trope?
I feel like I’ve been reading this book for ages and I’m still not at 50%.
Horny jail, Tamsin.
Very Hannibal
You mean the room full of dead bodies means death? Wow. I mean I don’t know what we would’ve done if the book hadn’t told us that. I can’t stand this.
When I say the dialogue is awful-
I don’t care about any of this plot. People are dying and I feel nothing. That’s bad.
Absolutely horny jail.
When I get to the end of this book, I’m not gonna be able to tell you what happened because I don’t think anything happened.
This is not an impactful reveal. We knew the whole book that his daddy did it. Gah, I’m so bored.
Just like genuinely, why do we care? Why are we arguing about like what the monster is or where it came from? Who gives a shit? Who gives a single flying fuck? Either kill it or like move on. I don’t care.
I can’t tell you how old anyone in this book is. I guess they’re doing a gay romance with like the priestess lady and the cat girl, but like I was under the impression the priestesses were like middle-aged and that the cat girl was like a high schooler. I don’t know. I hate this book.
If these people take vows that seriously, I’d hate to see them try and get out of a planet fitness gym membership.
Athame
I mean the book opened by telling us that she would be betrayed. That ruined all the tension. Like we were just waiting for it.
I feel like this whole book is just oh, the magic rules say we can’t solve this problem and then them being like oh, well, there’s a loophole now so let’s use magic to fix it.
I like how they have to info dump and explain the plot to you within the book because no one has any idea what’s going on.
Again, you have a character called Lord Death and you expect us to think he was anything but a villain? Like oh man, who could the villain be?
Buddy boy. I just, this book is so dumb. You’re so dumb. You really said I’m gonna trust this person literally named death with my whole chest. Like you speak English right?
This one I might’ve missed because I have not been paying attention this entire book, but did they point out that he had the wrong hand missing? But the rest of the characters had noticed and they just went along with it? They didn’t think for a second like hey, maybe this guy could be an impostor?
What’s the battery life on her cd player?
Post-reading:
Theoretically, I have read this book but I cannot tell you a thing that happened in it. Disclaimer I’ve never read a single bit about Arthur. I’ve never even seen the Disney movie. That being said, I don’t think you need to have read anything about it for this book because I’m not sure what it would contribute. The positive reviews for this book baffle me because I was so bored and so checked out and it was so long, but I am incapable of DNF-ing a book.
Here is my drunken summary of what I think happened in this book:
I guess some children get abandoned by their treasure-hunting adoptive daddy. We love an orphan cliche. I guess one’s a werewolf. The other one’s name is Tamsin. (Truly, everyone in this book has the most outrageous names and no one talks about it.) Instead of going to college or working at McDonalds, they’re like I know what we can do-let’s get hired by some witches to keep finding these dangerous magical artifacts. So like some sexy lady (truly the only person in this entire book I was interested in) who has lovers with dead animal heads (Bunny called, Mona Awad is wet) hires them to get a curse breaker ring because her cereal boxes ran out of prizes (and like she’s this all-powerful witch, but she can’t get off her ass and get it herself because oh my god, does it look like she does manual labor? Also, she eats gemstones and all I can think of is Stardew Valley). Obviously, they don’t ask why she wants the ring. Why would we care about that? We’ll just do it. Cue the appearance of every single fantasy romance‘s favorite broody, daddy-issue-loaded rich boy for some enemies to lovers. He’s also after the ring for because? Somehow these children decide that the secret decoder ring is in ye old Arthur-land because daddy went out to get milk and by milk he probably meant Arthur. So they go there. (There’s some magic library key nonsense involved but like it doesn’t matter how they get there. It truly doesn’t, and I don’t know why we wasted so much time on it.)
When they get to Arthur-land, they’re like oh my god, I was expecting unicorns and rainbows and like maybe some knights, but this is some child zombies, and also the sky is gray and that makes us sad. They get rescued from the horde of Renesmees by some priestesses who are very confused about their job description. And the priestesses are like lol we don’t like you. You’re traveling with a witch. Witches are evil. They use magic. (I guess on the way they picked up this cat girl orphan who is like a witch because? She’s like obsessed with Tamsin, but not in a gay way. They made sure to clarify.) So the priestesses take them back to the castle to lock them up in jail but obviously, they’re gonna give them medical care first because they are #NotEvil. So they like use magic to heal them and then the Scooby Doo gang is like lol isn’t that a little hypocritical? And they’re like oh my god, no. This is totally different. Also, Arthur-land is dying. Boo-hoo. For some reason the Goonies care? I don’t know empathy maybe? But like I don’t know why we care. So obviously they put down the mission to get Princess Diana’s ring, and they’re like oh my god, we have to kill all the nightmare children. And the priestesses are like oh my god, we can’t kill the nightmare children. They’re our children. They’ve just been corrupted. And I’m sitting here like did I stutter? (Just make more. It’s fine. Those ones are a wash. Even if you were to uncurse them, they’ll probably be like super traumatized from tearing apart their friends and family, and you guys don’t have ye old therapists.) The ring that they’re looking for for sexy not a furry lady witch breaks curses so they’re like oh my god, this is perfect. Fate. Serendipity. Two birds, one stone.
There’s like a little interlude here where they info dump some myths and legends about Arthur-land on you. I don’t remember them. I didn’t care. I think at some point Merlin is a tree, but I don’t know. He seems pretty useless. He like told them a riddle and then bounced. Also, her brother is getting lessons from a knight who can be his new daddy because why use your Wolfie powers when you could swing a sword? Love interest man is a plant dad. Cat witch girl is learning magic from the priestesses because I shit you not they argued about whose magic was evil, and they essentially came to we can agree to disagree. They also tell you that this guy named Lord Death used to exist, but he’s gone and not a problem. He sounds like a standup guy, you know? Tamsin hallucinates unicorns. That’s it. Oh and also, I guess there was a priestess who probably died but they think she killed daddy Indiana Jones and took the ring from him. Maybe?
Somehow Tamsin decides to go after a flaming sword. I genuinely can’t tell you what happened here. I was so gone and done at this point, but like she goes and she gets injured so in full ACOTAR fashion, her love interest saves her life in a cave, and then they bang. Probably. So his betrayal is now imminent. Never have premarital sex in a YA if you don’t want him to betray you. (And also Tammy girl was a tarot card reader for her afterschool activity at the beginning of the book and her fortune was that someone would betray her, and like we’ll drop a lot of plot points, but we’re not gonna drop that one.)
Then they go after the dead priestess who is alive, but not alive. She’s some kind of ghostie. Maybe this is what the sword was for? Maybe they needed ye old silver Ghostbusters but who knows? So they like fight and she chops ghost girl’s hand with the ring off, and then she just leaves it there because she has forgotten the beginning of this book’s plot and frankly, I don’t blame her. So much has happened and yet absolutely nothing has happened and it’s been like 400 pages. So then they kill ghost girl, and they’re like oh my god, we did it, but then the love interest has stolen the ring. And they’re like oh my god, how are we gonna break the curse on the nightmare children and also probably my brother now? Well, nothing left to do but go home, so they go home and everyone’s murdered. And they’re like sad about it, but then they have a girl power moment and they’re like oh my god, at least we found each other. We’re like sisters. And then they’re like oh my god, because we’re sisters we should like probably try that ritual that we’ve been saying all book won’t work to break the curse because we need all our sorority sisters, and like half of them are murdered now, but it’s probably just the sisters you feel in your heart. So they like do the ritual and obviously it doesn’t work how they want it to because there’s still like 40 pages left in the book. They’re like hmm, ghost girl probably wasn’t evil because we found this piece of bone in a dead girl’s pocket and obviously the bone was sealing together a vase with ghost girl’s trapped memories. Like it’s definitely not her spank bank. It’s 100% just a horrible secret that someone would murder and frame her for. And obviously, she was protecting us when she was like actively murdering everybody, duh. So they’re like omg, who could the villain, the real villain ever be? And Lord Death enters and they’re still like no, not you. You’re just misunderstood. Apparently, Lorde has “corrupted “her brother and turned him to the Darkside because he was like lol do you want to use your werewolf powers instead of trying to get rid of them? And her brother was like oh my god, do I! And then the remaining heroes are like oh my god, we shouldn’t have used our sister powers to break the curse because when we broke the curse, it made Arthur-land drop directly on top of someplace in Britain and or Europe and or I don’t know geography. So they like look around at the destruction and they’re like eh, the EMTs can handle it, and they decide to go home to Boston where surprise Indiana Jones is not dead. The end.
Yeah, I don’t know. Everyone in this book was fundamentally unlikable. I didn’t know how old anyone was. I was simultaneously convinced that everyone was 40 and or 12. The dialogue is horrible. I’ve never heard people talk like that. It’s supposed to be romantic banter and I’m like did a robot write this? It’s a cat lady book and a plant lady book, and I feel like just immediately zero stars for those two things alone, but I know I am in the minority on Goodreads for being so firmly a dog person and a Threshold plastic plant lover. So I’m sure someone else loved the constant talk of cats.
Everyone in this book is stupid. They do stupid things constantly. I never understood why they cared about anything in this book. A lot of the reasoning behind the plot or the characters’ motivations was just because? There’s so much info dumping about absolutely nothing. Oh, Sam, it’s world-building. It’s not. I didn’t need it. They literally gave us a character called Lord Death, and then the characters are still trying to figure out who the villain is, and I’m like that one. That’s like a murder mystery where someone’s named murderer. And like it’s so long. This book is so long for no reason.
The one thing that this author did well was give you really pretty images of scenery, but like that’s it. Scenery does not a book make.
Skip this. Don’t read it. And if you’re desperate, I gave you a TLDR up top. You’re welcome.
Who should read this:
No one
People rabid for King Arthur
Urban fantasy fans
Do I want to reread this:
No
Similar books:
* Wings Once Cursed and Bound by Piper J. Drake-treasure hunting various immortal creatures, YA urban fantasy romance
* Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker-YA urban fantasy with an obvious villain whodunnit that the characters will take forever to solve
* Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross-if you want a romantic urban fantasy for the love of god read this one
* The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi-urban fantasy, romance, obvious whodunnit
* Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson-YA enemies to lovers fantasy romance
* The Witch and the Vampire by Francesca Flores-YA fantasy romance with bad world-building and magic system
* Bow Before the Elf Queen by J. M. Kearl-fantasy romance where the love interest betrays our main girlie
* A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas-fantasy romance where the love interest betrays our main girlie
Do you want to read a YA urban fantasy where so much happens, but you’re so bored and annoyed with it that it feels like nothing happens? Do you like millennial humor? Do you like a romance that can barely be considered enemies to lovers? Do you love an underdeveloped magic system?
This is one of my don’t read it titles.
Pre-reading:
I don’t know what this is about. I think it’s YA. I don’t like the cover. It gives me like early seasons Game of Thrones vibes, but not in an enjoyable way, just in like a fanboy way. I got sent a special edition and the sprayed edges are pretty, but like it’s still just a hand on a sword and I’m not into that. Also, why is it so long? I can’t imagine this story needing 470 pages and multiple books. I really hope I get proved wrong.
Thick of it:
I think this girl is the audiobook girlie for No Exit. Hold on. Let me google. (Update it was Hairpin Bridge. I knew it was a Taylor Adams book. I think it’s interesting how often I notice repeat audiobook narrators, and I wonder what it means that so many of my titles end up read by the same person. Like do I secretly read books linked together somehow?)
I never use maps. (And there was no need for it to be in here.)
Oh, not a cat lady book.
Oh, I didn’t know this was urban fantasy.
These names are whack.
You know I feel bad for going into this book with such a sour mood. I’m kinda into it. (Ha! She was so young, so innocent.)
So I don’t know the legend of King Arthur. (And I still don’t.)
Ayyy Boston! A local.
I think tarot is so fun. I’d love to have my cards read someday.
This is firmly a cat lady book.
I swear to god, if they draw the death card-(We’re safe from that particular book sin.)
Tower badddd
Calm down, edgelord.
Annnnd enemies to lovers with the rich privileged boy.
They all got weird names.
A little OUAT Rumpelstiltskin throwback?
Main girly’s appearance revealed through a mirror cliché.
Oh, now that was made for fanart. What a scene.
And he’s got cliché funky eyes. OK, is he a pine boy or is he a cinnamon boy? Can’t wait to find out.
Who talks like this? How old are they? Aren’t they teenagers? What teenager talks like this?
She eats rocks. Send her to Stardew Valley.
Pooka
All these edgy boys always got these scars, and all I ever hear is that Joker line.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a boy compared to a pomegranate before. I spit my pomegranate seeds. I don’t spit my boys-(I know you think you’re funny, but you need to stop.)
Same energy as that meme with DW from Arthur saying this sign can’t stop me because I can’t read.
Why does he call her bird? It’s so annoying. It’s mildly offensive imo.
You’re gonna offer soup in this economy of ACOTAR.
How many goddamn cat references are going to be in this book?
I need her to not describe her adoptive daddy like he’s a hottie, thank you.
A minty boy!
If you don’t like it, give it back. No. Then it helps.
Oh, she drinks black coffee. She’s so edgy.
Wow, a cat lady and a plant lady. She really picked both of my peeves.
Stop calling her birD.
This dialogue is fucking awful.
They’re both such edgelords. Also, I don’t know how old they’re supposed to be, but they’re coming across like they’re 16.
Oh my god, edgelord. I regretted coming into this book with a sour mood, but no longer. Regret rescinded. This is bad. This is BAD. Like the plot is mediocre, but the characters have really ruined it for me.
This is some millennial-ass writing with the whole they want us to have 10 years of job experience to get a first-time job. Like, shut up.
Lol, so his dad tried to kill him.
She is good at crafting images and sets. She is horrible at characters’ dialogue.
How is he not transforming into a dog now if it’s emotion-based? (His powers made no sense.)
Tell me you’ve never ridden a horse without telling me you’ve never ridden a horse.
cuirass
portcullis
It’s not enemies to lovers if he’s already in love with her. Like this is stupid.
Title drop
Hamadryad
This book is gonna be long and miserable to get through.
Millennial humor: oh my god, coffee is my personality.
One horse trope?
I feel like I’ve been reading this book for ages and I’m still not at 50%.
Horny jail, Tamsin.
Very Hannibal
You mean the room full of dead bodies means death? Wow. I mean I don’t know what we would’ve done if the book hadn’t told us that. I can’t stand this.
When I say the dialogue is awful-
I don’t care about any of this plot. People are dying and I feel nothing. That’s bad.
Absolutely horny jail.
When I get to the end of this book, I’m not gonna be able to tell you what happened because I don’t think anything happened.
This is not an impactful reveal. We knew the whole book that his daddy did it. Gah, I’m so bored.
Just like genuinely, why do we care? Why are we arguing about like what the monster is or where it came from? Who gives a shit? Who gives a single flying fuck? Either kill it or like move on. I don’t care.
I can’t tell you how old anyone in this book is. I guess they’re doing a gay romance with like the priestess lady and the cat girl, but like I was under the impression the priestesses were like middle-aged and that the cat girl was like a high schooler. I don’t know. I hate this book.
If these people take vows that seriously, I’d hate to see them try and get out of a planet fitness gym membership.
Athame
I mean the book opened by telling us that she would be betrayed. That ruined all the tension. Like we were just waiting for it.
I feel like this whole book is just oh, the magic rules say we can’t solve this problem and then them being like oh, well, there’s a loophole now so let’s use magic to fix it.
I like how they have to info dump and explain the plot to you within the book because no one has any idea what’s going on.
Again, you have a character called Lord Death and you expect us to think he was anything but a villain? Like oh man, who could the villain be?
Buddy boy. I just, this book is so dumb. You’re so dumb. You really said I’m gonna trust this person literally named death with my whole chest. Like you speak English right?
This one I might’ve missed because I have not been paying attention this entire book, but did they point out that he had the wrong hand missing? But the rest of the characters had noticed and they just went along with it? They didn’t think for a second like hey, maybe this guy could be an impostor?
What’s the battery life on her cd player?
Post-reading:
Theoretically, I have read this book but I cannot tell you a thing that happened in it. Disclaimer I’ve never read a single bit about Arthur. I’ve never even seen the Disney movie. That being said, I don’t think you need to have read anything about it for this book because I’m not sure what it would contribute. The positive reviews for this book baffle me because I was so bored and so checked out and it was so long, but I am incapable of DNF-ing a book.
Here is my drunken summary of what I think happened in this book:
I guess some children get abandoned by their treasure-hunting adoptive daddy. We love an orphan cliche. I guess one’s a werewolf. The other one’s name is Tamsin. (Truly, everyone in this book has the most outrageous names and no one talks about it.) Instead of going to college or working at McDonalds, they’re like I know what we can do-let’s get hired by some witches to keep finding these dangerous magical artifacts. So like some sexy lady (truly the only person in this entire book I was interested in) who has lovers with dead animal heads (Bunny called, Mona Awad is wet) hires them to get a curse breaker ring because her cereal boxes ran out of prizes (and like she’s this all-powerful witch, but she can’t get off her ass and get it herself because oh my god, does it look like she does manual labor? Also, she eats gemstones and all I can think of is Stardew Valley). Obviously, they don’t ask why she wants the ring. Why would we care about that? We’ll just do it. Cue the appearance of every single fantasy romance‘s favorite broody, daddy-issue-loaded rich boy for some enemies to lovers. He’s also after the ring for because? Somehow these children decide that the secret decoder ring is in ye old Arthur-land because daddy went out to get milk and by milk he probably meant Arthur. So they go there. (There’s some magic library key nonsense involved but like it doesn’t matter how they get there. It truly doesn’t, and I don’t know why we wasted so much time on it.)
When they get to Arthur-land, they’re like oh my god, I was expecting unicorns and rainbows and like maybe some knights, but this is some child zombies, and also the sky is gray and that makes us sad. They get rescued from the horde of Renesmees by some priestesses who are very confused about their job description. And the priestesses are like lol we don’t like you. You’re traveling with a witch. Witches are evil. They use magic. (I guess on the way they picked up this cat girl orphan who is like a witch because? She’s like obsessed with Tamsin, but not in a gay way. They made sure to clarify.) So the priestesses take them back to the castle to lock them up in jail but obviously, they’re gonna give them medical care first because they are #NotEvil. So they like use magic to heal them and then the Scooby Doo gang is like lol isn’t that a little hypocritical? And they’re like oh my god, no. This is totally different. Also, Arthur-land is dying. Boo-hoo. For some reason the Goonies care? I don’t know empathy maybe? But like I don’t know why we care. So obviously they put down the mission to get Princess Diana’s ring, and they’re like oh my god, we have to kill all the nightmare children. And the priestesses are like oh my god, we can’t kill the nightmare children. They’re our children. They’ve just been corrupted. And I’m sitting here like did I stutter? (Just make more. It’s fine. Those ones are a wash. Even if you were to uncurse them, they’ll probably be like super traumatized from tearing apart their friends and family, and you guys don’t have ye old therapists.) The ring that they’re looking for for sexy not a furry lady witch breaks curses so they’re like oh my god, this is perfect. Fate. Serendipity. Two birds, one stone.
There’s like a little interlude here where they info dump some myths and legends about Arthur-land on you. I don’t remember them. I didn’t care. I think at some point Merlin is a tree, but I don’t know. He seems pretty useless. He like told them a riddle and then bounced. Also, her brother is getting lessons from a knight who can be his new daddy because why use your Wolfie powers when you could swing a sword? Love interest man is a plant dad. Cat witch girl is learning magic from the priestesses because I shit you not they argued about whose magic was evil, and they essentially came to we can agree to disagree. They also tell you that this guy named Lord Death used to exist, but he’s gone and not a problem. He sounds like a standup guy, you know? Tamsin hallucinates unicorns. That’s it. Oh and also, I guess there was a priestess who probably died but they think she killed daddy Indiana Jones and took the ring from him. Maybe?
Somehow Tamsin decides to go after a flaming sword. I genuinely can’t tell you what happened here. I was so gone and done at this point, but like she goes and she gets injured so in full ACOTAR fashion, her love interest saves her life in a cave, and then they bang. Probably. So his betrayal is now imminent. Never have premarital sex in a YA if you don’t want him to betray you. (And also Tammy girl was a tarot card reader for her afterschool activity at the beginning of the book and her fortune was that someone would betray her, and like we’ll drop a lot of plot points, but we’re not gonna drop that one.)
Then they go after the dead priestess who is alive, but not alive. She’s some kind of ghostie. Maybe this is what the sword was for? Maybe they needed ye old silver Ghostbusters but who knows? So they like fight and she chops ghost girl’s hand with the ring off, and then she just leaves it there because she has forgotten the beginning of this book’s plot and frankly, I don’t blame her. So much has happened and yet absolutely nothing has happened and it’s been like 400 pages. So then they kill ghost girl, and they’re like oh my god, we did it, but then the love interest has stolen the ring. And they’re like oh my god, how are we gonna break the curse on the nightmare children and also probably my brother now? Well, nothing left to do but go home, so they go home and everyone’s murdered. And they’re like sad about it, but then they have a girl power moment and they’re like oh my god, at least we found each other. We’re like sisters. And then they’re like oh my god, because we’re sisters we should like probably try that ritual that we’ve been saying all book won’t work to break the curse because we need all our sorority sisters, and like half of them are murdered now, but it’s probably just the sisters you feel in your heart. So they like do the ritual and obviously it doesn’t work how they want it to because there’s still like 40 pages left in the book. They’re like hmm, ghost girl probably wasn’t evil because we found this piece of bone in a dead girl’s pocket and obviously the bone was sealing together a vase with ghost girl’s trapped memories. Like it’s definitely not her spank bank. It’s 100% just a horrible secret that someone would murder and frame her for. And obviously, she was protecting us when she was like actively murdering everybody, duh. So they’re like omg, who could the villain, the real villain ever be? And Lord Death enters and they’re still like no, not you. You’re just misunderstood. Apparently, Lorde has “corrupted “her brother and turned him to the Darkside because he was like lol do you want to use your werewolf powers instead of trying to get rid of them? And her brother was like oh my god, do I! And then the remaining heroes are like oh my god, we shouldn’t have used our sister powers to break the curse because when we broke the curse, it made Arthur-land drop directly on top of someplace in Britain and or Europe and or I don’t know geography. So they like look around at the destruction and they’re like eh, the EMTs can handle it, and they decide to go home to Boston where surprise Indiana Jones is not dead. The end.
Yeah, I don’t know. Everyone in this book was fundamentally unlikable. I didn’t know how old anyone was. I was simultaneously convinced that everyone was 40 and or 12. The dialogue is horrible. I’ve never heard people talk like that. It’s supposed to be romantic banter and I’m like did a robot write this? It’s a cat lady book and a plant lady book, and I feel like just immediately zero stars for those two things alone, but I know I am in the minority on Goodreads for being so firmly a dog person and a Threshold plastic plant lover. So I’m sure someone else loved the constant talk of cats.
Everyone in this book is stupid. They do stupid things constantly. I never understood why they cared about anything in this book. A lot of the reasoning behind the plot or the characters’ motivations was just because? There’s so much info dumping about absolutely nothing. Oh, Sam, it’s world-building. It’s not. I didn’t need it. They literally gave us a character called Lord Death, and then the characters are still trying to figure out who the villain is, and I’m like that one. That’s like a murder mystery where someone’s named murderer. And like it’s so long. This book is so long for no reason.
The one thing that this author did well was give you really pretty images of scenery, but like that’s it. Scenery does not a book make.
Skip this. Don’t read it. And if you’re desperate, I gave you a TLDR up top. You’re welcome.
Who should read this:
No one
People rabid for King Arthur
Urban fantasy fans
Do I want to reread this:
No
Similar books:
* Wings Once Cursed and Bound by Piper J. Drake-treasure hunting various immortal creatures, YA urban fantasy romance
* Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker-YA urban fantasy with an obvious villain whodunnit that the characters will take forever to solve
* Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross-if you want a romantic urban fantasy for the love of god read this one
* The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi-urban fantasy, romance, obvious whodunnit
* Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson-YA enemies to lovers fantasy romance
* The Witch and the Vampire by Francesca Flores-YA fantasy romance with bad world-building and magic system
* Bow Before the Elf Queen by J. M. Kearl-fantasy romance where the love interest betrays our main girlie
* A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas-fantasy romance where the love interest betrays our main girlie
January 11, 2026
Trama/Plot ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Personaggi/Characters ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Stile/Style ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Un ottimo romanzo fantasy, con ambientazione moderna, ma un background arturiano. Personaggi notevoli e molto ben descritti. Alla fine ci sono numerosi punti in sospeso, molte sotto-trame lasciate aperte, aspetto con impazienza di leggere il secondo capitolo.
***
A great fantasy novel, with a modern setting, but an Arthurian background. Remarkable characters and very well described. At the end there are many loose ends, many subplots left open, I look forward to reading the second chapter.
Personaggi/Characters ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Stile/Style ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Un ottimo romanzo fantasy, con ambientazione moderna, ma un background arturiano. Personaggi notevoli e molto ben descritti. Alla fine ci sono numerosi punti in sospeso, molte sotto-trame lasciate aperte, aspetto con impazienza di leggere il secondo capitolo.
***
A great fantasy novel, with a modern setting, but an Arthurian background. Remarkable characters and very well described. At the end there are many loose ends, many subplots left open, I look forward to reading the second chapter.
March 19, 2023
I just cannot do it. I'm so bored.
May 28, 2023
3.5⭐️
I liked this one but it didn’t feel very different than other YA fantasies I’ve read. Nothing really stood out to me to put it over the top. The writing was solid and the plot had great pacing. The fantasy elements were easy to follow along with and I think the world that Alexandra Bracken built was really clear. It was a cool mix of urban and high fantasy.
I think I’ll still continue with the series because there were a lot of twists at the end and I think the sequel could go in an interesting direction.
I liked this one but it didn’t feel very different than other YA fantasies I’ve read. Nothing really stood out to me to put it over the top. The writing was solid and the plot had great pacing. The fantasy elements were easy to follow along with and I think the world that Alexandra Bracken built was really clear. It was a cool mix of urban and high fantasy.
I think I’ll still continue with the series because there were a lot of twists at the end and I think the sequel could go in an interesting direction.
March 17, 2023
Silver in the Bone is a YA urban fantasy inspired by Arthurian legend with epic battles, a unique found family, lies, betrayal, curses, romance, and so much more. I love the author’s writing style, use of dialogue, and interesting characters, but I struggled a bit with the world building and pacing.
The setting was a bit hard to define. It has the feel of the traditional fantasy setting, but it also seems like it is in the present, so I was a bit confused with that aspect of the story. I think I didn’t expect it to be an urban fantasy going in, so it threw me off a bit. I liked the lore and mythology, the magic and curses, and a lot of the other fantasy elements, even though there were some inconsistencies and some parts confused me, but the world-building was clunky. We are thrown right into the story with little information or context, which I didn’t enjoy, especially because the start was so slow. Later, there were a few passages that felt like info dumps, but some others left me confused and questioning.
The last third of the book was brilliant! Dark, twisted, suspenseful, and surprising, it was more violent and gory than I expected, especially in one particular scene (which also broke my heart into a million pieces!). I feel like the rest of the book was much slower-paced and set up a lot of what happened in the last third, and as much as I thought the pacing was off, the slower parts were totally worth it for that epic ending!
Tamsin often frustrated me with her stubbornness and unwillingness to change. She makes so many bad decisions, and she pushes away all of the people that try to help and support her. Sometimes, she is her own worst enemy, and I wanted to shake her. I understand how events and trauma from her past affected how she is now, and she showed growth by the end of the story. I think her relationships and what she experienced in this story will affect her and change her in the next. And I’m dying to find out about some of the other characters. There were several jaw-dropping things that happened, and I need answers!!!
I also love the found family element. Neve, Tamsin, Emery, and Cabell are all interesting characters, and I liked learning about each. I really want to find out more about Neve and Emery’s backstories, and I have a feeling both will come into play in future books in the series. The foursome’s journey together, and their developing relationships, were one of the highlights of the book. The sibling relationship between Cabell and Tamsin is wonderful, too. I love their staunch devotion to each other and how hard Tamsin fights to protect Cabell.
My favorite part of the story is the amazing enemies-to-lovers romance between Tamsin and Emery. Oh my word, do these two have chemistry! Their banter, the push and pull between them, and the way they fight their feelings before eventually succumbing to them are fantastic. I can’t wait to see what happens between them, and I have a feeling there is way more to Emery than meets the eye. His character is shrouded in mystery, and I am really questioning his actions and motives at this point, so I’m eager to see how his story and his romance with Tamsin play out.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/ Knopf Books for Young Readers for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
The setting was a bit hard to define. It has the feel of the traditional fantasy setting, but it also seems like it is in the present, so I was a bit confused with that aspect of the story. I think I didn’t expect it to be an urban fantasy going in, so it threw me off a bit. I liked the lore and mythology, the magic and curses, and a lot of the other fantasy elements, even though there were some inconsistencies and some parts confused me, but the world-building was clunky. We are thrown right into the story with little information or context, which I didn’t enjoy, especially because the start was so slow. Later, there were a few passages that felt like info dumps, but some others left me confused and questioning.
The last third of the book was brilliant! Dark, twisted, suspenseful, and surprising, it was more violent and gory than I expected, especially in one particular scene (which also broke my heart into a million pieces!). I feel like the rest of the book was much slower-paced and set up a lot of what happened in the last third, and as much as I thought the pacing was off, the slower parts were totally worth it for that epic ending!
Tamsin often frustrated me with her stubbornness and unwillingness to change. She makes so many bad decisions, and she pushes away all of the people that try to help and support her. Sometimes, she is her own worst enemy, and I wanted to shake her. I understand how events and trauma from her past affected how she is now, and she showed growth by the end of the story. I think her relationships and what she experienced in this story will affect her and change her in the next. And I’m dying to find out about some of the other characters. There were several jaw-dropping things that happened, and I need answers!!!
I also love the found family element. Neve, Tamsin, Emery, and Cabell are all interesting characters, and I liked learning about each. I really want to find out more about Neve and Emery’s backstories, and I have a feeling both will come into play in future books in the series. The foursome’s journey together, and their developing relationships, were one of the highlights of the book. The sibling relationship between Cabell and Tamsin is wonderful, too. I love their staunch devotion to each other and how hard Tamsin fights to protect Cabell.
My favorite part of the story is the amazing enemies-to-lovers romance between Tamsin and Emery. Oh my word, do these two have chemistry! Their banter, the push and pull between them, and the way they fight their feelings before eventually succumbing to them are fantastic. I can’t wait to see what happens between them, and I have a feeling there is way more to Emery than meets the eye. His character is shrouded in mystery, and I am really questioning his actions and motives at this point, so I’m eager to see how his story and his romance with Tamsin play out.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/ Knopf Books for Young Readers for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
March 20, 2023
Alexandra Bracken, the queen of found family, made me once again fall in love with her characters only for her to burn them alive in front of me as I wept. I love her so much
May 30, 2023
4.5 stars! I really enjoyed this story and world! It’s not an Arthurian retelling… it’s more a story that takes place in a world where Avalon and King Arthur and such are all real. Tamsin has no magic powers herself, but she has become a Hollower—hired hands to raid crypts of ancient sorceresses searching for powerful and valuable artifacts. After she and her brother Cabell were abandoned by the Hollower who raised them, she has done her best to take care of her brother and make a living. When Tamsin hears of a powerful and rare relic that can cure Cabell’s ever-worsening curse, she will to anything to find it.
That is such a basic overview, the book is so much more. It’s important to note that this book takes place in the modern world—cell phones, cars, like today right now. That threw me off, I wasn’t expecting it. Magic exists but it is very hidden to the common masses. When we get to the actual hidden island of Avalon is when the scenery starts to fit what I envisioned for the book more. This is not a bad thing, I just wasn’t expecting it! The world and magic and creatures and details are SUPERB. I cannot express how much I enjoyed the darkness of it all and the incorporation of Arthurian legend. It’s like Bracken took these classic stories and used them as a springboard for her world. The plot is fun with twists and betrayals. Tamsin is a likeable FMC and we do get a hint of enemies-to-lovers here, but by far that is not the main focus. We are left on a killer cliffhanger, so dig in, because it’s going to be a LONG wait for book two! I definitely would recommend this book if you like YA magical adventures with a darker and sometimes creepy vibe.
That is such a basic overview, the book is so much more. It’s important to note that this book takes place in the modern world—cell phones, cars, like today right now. That threw me off, I wasn’t expecting it. Magic exists but it is very hidden to the common masses. When we get to the actual hidden island of Avalon is when the scenery starts to fit what I envisioned for the book more. This is not a bad thing, I just wasn’t expecting it! The world and magic and creatures and details are SUPERB. I cannot express how much I enjoyed the darkness of it all and the incorporation of Arthurian legend. It’s like Bracken took these classic stories and used them as a springboard for her world. The plot is fun with twists and betrayals. Tamsin is a likeable FMC and we do get a hint of enemies-to-lovers here, but by far that is not the main focus. We are left on a killer cliffhanger, so dig in, because it’s going to be a LONG wait for book two! I definitely would recommend this book if you like YA magical adventures with a darker and sometimes creepy vibe.
April 14, 2025
2023: 4⭐️
2025: 4⭐️
——————————————————
Kto tak jak ja uwielbiał puszczane kilkanaście lat temu w telewizji „Przygody Merlina”? A może w tamtych czasach oglądaliście inne seriale?
Ja, odkąd sięgam pamięcią, zafascynowana byłam wszystkim związanym z legendami arturiańskimi. Wobec tego „Srebro w kościach” Alexandry Bracken dostarczyło mi niesamowitych emocji i uraczyło naprawdę wciągającą przygodą. Ale od początku..
Książka opowiada o rodzeństwie - Tamsin i Cabellu. Zostali oni przygarnięci przez obcego im człowieka i wyszkoleni na Zgłebiających, czyli ludzi poszukujących w śmiertelnym świecie magicznych artefaktów. Włamywali się oni do krypt czarodziejów, a znalezione (czy raczej ukradzione) przedmioty sprzedawali tym, którzy zapłacili najwiecej. Jednak przez całe życie walczyli oni również z wiszącą nad nimi klątwą, aż do momentu, gdy pojawił się promyk nadziei na jej złamanie. Jak się pewnie domyślacie do złamania klątwy potrzebny był im pewien artefakt..
Począwszy od legend arturiańskich, skończywszy na magicznym świecie skąpanym w mroku, wszystko w tej powieści mnie pochłaniało. Wartka akcja zaczynała się już od pierwszych stron i nie zwalniała tempa. Autorka świetnie wykreowała relacje między bohaterami. Mamy tu przede wszystkim miłość i poświęcenie dla członków rodziny, przyjaźń zdobyta w ferworze walk czy nienawiść do wroga, a nawet zdradę.
Co jednak było dla mnie najciekawsze to podróż razem z bohaterami przez intrygującą krainę, rozwiązywanie kolejnych postawionych przed nimi zagadek i poszukiwanie magicznego artefaktu. Nie potrafiłam się nawet na moment oderwać od lektury!
Uważam, że była to fantastyczna przygoda z ciekawie przedstawionym światem i intrygującymi wydarzeniami. Nie mogę się wprost doczekać kolejnej części, zwłaszcza po niektórych zwrotach akcji ;)
2025: 4⭐️
——————————————————
Kto tak jak ja uwielbiał puszczane kilkanaście lat temu w telewizji „Przygody Merlina”? A może w tamtych czasach oglądaliście inne seriale?
Ja, odkąd sięgam pamięcią, zafascynowana byłam wszystkim związanym z legendami arturiańskimi. Wobec tego „Srebro w kościach” Alexandry Bracken dostarczyło mi niesamowitych emocji i uraczyło naprawdę wciągającą przygodą. Ale od początku..
Książka opowiada o rodzeństwie - Tamsin i Cabellu. Zostali oni przygarnięci przez obcego im człowieka i wyszkoleni na Zgłebiających, czyli ludzi poszukujących w śmiertelnym świecie magicznych artefaktów. Włamywali się oni do krypt czarodziejów, a znalezione (czy raczej ukradzione) przedmioty sprzedawali tym, którzy zapłacili najwiecej. Jednak przez całe życie walczyli oni również z wiszącą nad nimi klątwą, aż do momentu, gdy pojawił się promyk nadziei na jej złamanie. Jak się pewnie domyślacie do złamania klątwy potrzebny był im pewien artefakt..
Począwszy od legend arturiańskich, skończywszy na magicznym świecie skąpanym w mroku, wszystko w tej powieści mnie pochłaniało. Wartka akcja zaczynała się już od pierwszych stron i nie zwalniała tempa. Autorka świetnie wykreowała relacje między bohaterami. Mamy tu przede wszystkim miłość i poświęcenie dla członków rodziny, przyjaźń zdobyta w ferworze walk czy nienawiść do wroga, a nawet zdradę.
Co jednak było dla mnie najciekawsze to podróż razem z bohaterami przez intrygującą krainę, rozwiązywanie kolejnych postawionych przed nimi zagadek i poszukiwanie magicznego artefaktu. Nie potrafiłam się nawet na moment oderwać od lektury!
Uważam, że była to fantastyczna przygoda z ciekawie przedstawionym światem i intrygującymi wydarzeniami. Nie mogę się wprost doczekać kolejnej części, zwłaszcza po niektórych zwrotach akcji ;)
May 8, 2024
4.5 stars. Unexpectedly gruesome and written with the kind of sharp incisiveness that only a seasoned author can wield, Silver in the Bone is an gleaming sword of a book that left me both gutted and utterly thrilled.
April 26, 2023
Overview:
💀 Adventure horror
🆒 King Arthur retelling
🫶 Intense sibling relationship
🫶 Rivals to Lovers
🆗 Urban Fantasy/Isekai
🆗 Slow pacing
😍 Slow burn romance
😍 Betrayals
Tasmin and her cursed brother Cabel were both adopted by, then abandoned by their foster father Nash, and raised adjacent to a hidden world of magic. When the opportunity presents itself, they take off on a quest to search for a way to break Cabel's curse, which leads them to the crumbling island of Avalon. The once lush liminal world served as a place to protect King Arthur's court, but is now a hellscape overrun by zombies and monsters. With the help of the local rich boy and an adorable goth sorceress, the siblings seek to break the curse and escape Avalon.
Silver in the Bone is tough to rate. I consumed this one slowly, both through audiobook and ebook.
On the one hand, it is a brilliant fantasy horror that pulls no punches and has amazing characters. On the other hand, it can be slow, and its worst trait is that it has a lot going on. Alexandra Bracken vomits plot points all over the page, and many don't feel necessary. Expect a lot of side plots. But that's my big gripe and why it took me so long to finish.
Now, on to the cool stuff.
The characters in this book SHINE. Tasmin is a flawed female protagonist, jaded from years of struggle and abandonment. Cabel is a wonderful protective brother figure, but he's also struggling with his demons and identity in a major way. Neave the sorceress is a charming little monster- shes weird and seems like a dark character at first, but is truly an empathetic puppy dog. She struggles with the hatred that sorceresses experience from the rest of the magical world. Finally, you have Emrys- our little fanfiction Draco Malfoy type. Rich, entitled, but has a layer of sweetness underneath.
All of the characters interact with each other and have their own stories to tell, they are not just centered around the main character. Additionally, there is a nice rivals to lovers subplot, but it doesn't overshadow the story and is a very slow burn. I loved the pairing and has a lot of fun with it.
The plot itself is super creative. Legendborn set the standard for Arthurian legend retellings, and this one is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT- leaning heavily into horror. Bracken creates many creative monsters that are fleshed out and described so well for this story. It's genuinely creepy at times. I always appreciate when a YA series puts thought into its universe- and if you like worldbuilding and lore, Silver in the Bone won't disappoint you.
As noted, it's also incredibly dark and pretty unforgiving. It's grimdark as hell. Expect several deaths and horrific, scary scenes. There aren't any magic fixes, and the group experiences a lot of trauma. I don't have any obvious trigger warnings, but I'd avoid this book if you are apprehensive about books where happy endings are not possible for everyone. It's bleak from start to finish despite its glowing cast of characters.
💀 Adventure horror
🆒 King Arthur retelling
🫶 Intense sibling relationship
🫶 Rivals to Lovers
🆗 Urban Fantasy/Isekai
🆗 Slow pacing
😍 Slow burn romance
😍 Betrayals
Tasmin and her cursed brother Cabel were both adopted by, then abandoned by their foster father Nash, and raised adjacent to a hidden world of magic. When the opportunity presents itself, they take off on a quest to search for a way to break Cabel's curse, which leads them to the crumbling island of Avalon. The once lush liminal world served as a place to protect King Arthur's court, but is now a hellscape overrun by zombies and monsters. With the help of the local rich boy and an adorable goth sorceress, the siblings seek to break the curse and escape Avalon.
Silver in the Bone is tough to rate. I consumed this one slowly, both through audiobook and ebook.
On the one hand, it is a brilliant fantasy horror that pulls no punches and has amazing characters. On the other hand, it can be slow, and its worst trait is that it has a lot going on. Alexandra Bracken vomits plot points all over the page, and many don't feel necessary. Expect a lot of side plots. But that's my big gripe and why it took me so long to finish.
Now, on to the cool stuff.
The characters in this book SHINE. Tasmin is a flawed female protagonist, jaded from years of struggle and abandonment. Cabel is a wonderful protective brother figure, but he's also struggling with his demons and identity in a major way. Neave the sorceress is a charming little monster- shes weird and seems like a dark character at first, but is truly an empathetic puppy dog. She struggles with the hatred that sorceresses experience from the rest of the magical world. Finally, you have Emrys- our little fanfiction Draco Malfoy type. Rich, entitled, but has a layer of sweetness underneath.
All of the characters interact with each other and have their own stories to tell, they are not just centered around the main character. Additionally, there is a nice rivals to lovers subplot, but it doesn't overshadow the story and is a very slow burn. I loved the pairing and has a lot of fun with it.
The plot itself is super creative. Legendborn set the standard for Arthurian legend retellings, and this one is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT- leaning heavily into horror. Bracken creates many creative monsters that are fleshed out and described so well for this story. It's genuinely creepy at times. I always appreciate when a YA series puts thought into its universe- and if you like worldbuilding and lore, Silver in the Bone won't disappoint you.
As noted, it's also incredibly dark and pretty unforgiving. It's grimdark as hell. Expect several deaths and horrific, scary scenes. There aren't any magic fixes, and the group experiences a lot of trauma. I don't have any obvious trigger warnings, but I'd avoid this book if you are apprehensive about books where happy endings are not possible for everyone. It's bleak from start to finish despite its glowing cast of characters.
June 18, 2023
Excuse me!! That can’t be the end!! I need more!! Obsessed obsessed obsessed!!
This book!! This book!! I am obsessed and in love with Silver in the Bone! It was absolutely incredible!
I knew very little going into this, but since I’ve loved all of Alexandra Bracken’s books, I had high hopes. And they paid off!
Silver in the Bone is inspired by Arthurian legend and follows Tamsin, who is part of a secret society known as Hollowers, who travel through portals to collect magical artefacts. When she’s offered a chance to find the key to unlocking her brothers curse, she’s forced to team up with rival Hollower and golden child Emrys, to find it.
You are going to adore the characters, trust me. Tamsin, Emrys, Neve and Cabell (also Flea). I loved all of their interactions, especially the ones between Tamsin and Emrys. Tamsin speaks her mind and she was a fantastic protagonist.
This book was much darker than I expected. It is full of terrifying monsters, deadly locations and sinister curses. The stakes were high, the action was intense, and yes, I may shed a tear (or several).
When I got to the end, I let out an audible gasp. I couldn’t believe it was over!! The cliffhanger!! I need more answers!!
I love this book, it’s my favourite read of the year so far and I’ll be waiting impatiently for the sequel
This book!! This book!! I am obsessed and in love with Silver in the Bone! It was absolutely incredible!
I knew very little going into this, but since I’ve loved all of Alexandra Bracken’s books, I had high hopes. And they paid off!
Silver in the Bone is inspired by Arthurian legend and follows Tamsin, who is part of a secret society known as Hollowers, who travel through portals to collect magical artefacts. When she’s offered a chance to find the key to unlocking her brothers curse, she’s forced to team up with rival Hollower and golden child Emrys, to find it.
You are going to adore the characters, trust me. Tamsin, Emrys, Neve and Cabell (also Flea). I loved all of their interactions, especially the ones between Tamsin and Emrys. Tamsin speaks her mind and she was a fantastic protagonist.
This book was much darker than I expected. It is full of terrifying monsters, deadly locations and sinister curses. The stakes were high, the action was intense, and yes, I may shed a tear (or several).
When I got to the end, I let out an audible gasp. I couldn’t believe it was over!! The cliffhanger!! I need more answers!!
I love this book, it’s my favourite read of the year so far and I’ll be waiting impatiently for the sequel
September 10, 2025
All I need in life is more Alex Bracken books.
February 9, 2023
I'm an Alexandra Bracken fan and have been for ages, but SILVER IN THE BONE is certainly one of my favorite books she's ever written! From the get go, I was caught in the current of her storytelling for Silver in the Bone. The potent combination of Arthurian legend and Celtic lore, a quest/journey with unexpected allies and a plot that (mostly) kept me on my toes
really
worked for me as a reader. I know what I like in my fantasy reads and this is prime example! I also quite enjoyed getting to know the cast of characters, and particularly liked following Tamsin (even though she definitely had her frustrating moments) and watching her story unfold until the very end of this book (with more to come in the sequel). All in all, this is yet another stellar story from Bracken, and I'm in dire need of the second book after reaching the very last page!
November 28, 2023
3,5⭐️
Ecouteeeez, c’était un peu lent à mon goût mais très efficace malgré tout. C’est une réécriture intéressante des légendes Arthuriennes, j’ai trouvé que c’était parfois un peu brouillon genre on mélangeait pas mal de choses (légendes arrhuriennes, sorcières, monde moderne et légendes urbaines) mais ça fait un univers vraiment original. Je pense que j’étais pas tout à fait dans le mood donc j’ai mis plus de temps que je ne le pensais à accrocher, mais c’était malgré tout une lecture intéressante et CETTE FIN ?? Le suspens de malade wesh, ça se fait pas…
Sinon j’ai beaucoup aimé Emrys et Tamsin que j’ai trouvé très intéressants. Voilà.
Ecouteeeez, c’était un peu lent à mon goût mais très efficace malgré tout. C’est une réécriture intéressante des légendes Arthuriennes, j’ai trouvé que c’était parfois un peu brouillon genre on mélangeait pas mal de choses (légendes arrhuriennes, sorcières, monde moderne et légendes urbaines) mais ça fait un univers vraiment original. Je pense que j’étais pas tout à fait dans le mood donc j’ai mis plus de temps que je ne le pensais à accrocher, mais c’était malgré tout une lecture intéressante et CETTE FIN ?? Le suspens de malade wesh, ça se fait pas…
Sinon j’ai beaucoup aimé Emrys et Tamsin que j’ai trouvé très intéressants. Voilà.
April 11, 2023
pre-read: legally, i read anything alexandra bracken releases.
_
read: so in terms of ranking her books, i’d probably place this one right below tdm? for natural reasons, tdm stays at the top, but this was an enjoyable read!! (and better than lore, in my humble opinion). nothing revolutionary, but enjoyable, so a 3.8 all together.
_
read: so in terms of ranking her books, i’d probably place this one right below tdm? for natural reasons, tdm stays at the top, but this was an enjoyable read!! (and better than lore, in my humble opinion). nothing revolutionary, but enjoyable, so a 3.8 all together.
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